The British have a great tradition with television comedy and have produced some of the best laugh-out-loud moments of the past 40 years.

The 90s seem to be a particular high point when it comes to a consistent body of work over a number of years.

It could even be fair to say that TV comedy has been on a gentle slide ever since.

For every Gavin and Stacey, Extras or Thick of It, there were dozens of sitcoms where the writers and performers seemed to have been devoid of a sense of humour.

So, as we lament the fact that TV comedy "isn’t as funny as it used to be", let’s take a nostalgia-hued trip back 20 years and more and remember the comedy shows that are way funnier than anything on TV nowadays.

Father Ted

There may have only been 25 episodes over three series in the mid-90s but Father Ted will always be remembered as one of the greatest TV comedies ever produced. It was set on the fictional Craggy Island, where priests of indifferent pasts were sent to spend their days.

Dermot Morgan played the eponymous Father Ted Crilly and the critically acclaimed show gathered numerous BAFTA awards as viewers fell in love with the, now classic, comedy.

It was born out of a short-lived stand-up routine of one the writers, Arthur Mathews, who introduced Father Ted to his act, along with other characters that made the show. When he realised that being a comedian himself wasn’t going to work out, he set about writing the priest into sketches for other TV shows, along with Graham Linehan.

Eventually it was suggested that Ted would make a great sitcom character and it proved to be an inspired decision.

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The Royle Family

As the 90s approached the Millennium, Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash produced a comic ‘kitchen sink drama’ about a Manchester-based family, where the TV in the corner was king.

It was one of the simpler productions to hit the small screen, with most of the time it being filmed by one camera as the family lounge on the sofa, talking about their days and problems, while puffing their way through countless packets of cigarettes.

Ricky Tomlinson played the memorable Jim Royle in the sitcom (Image: Getty Images)

Jim Royle (played superbly by Ricky Tomlinson) became a cult figure as he passed comment from the comfort of his armchair, while his wife Barbara (Sue Johnston) has the running of the household on her shoulders.

Denise and David (writers Aherne and Cash) made up the spaces on the sofa as this low key comedy became one of the most celebrated sitcoms ever made.

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Men Behaving Badly

Lad culture of the nineties was reflected in the beer-guzzling flatmates Gary and Tony, who took juvenile behaviour to a new level. It started on ITV in 1992 with Martin Clunes (Gary) sharing a flat with Harry Enfield (who played Dermot Povey) but it wasn’t until the show moved to the BBC and Neil Morrissey (Tony) replaced Enfield that it really took off.

It won the first National Television Award for Situation Comedy and Caroline Quentin (who played Gary’s girlfriend Dorothy) and Leslie Ash (who was the object of Tony’s desires in the flat above), helped to highlight the desperation of the boys’ behaviour.

When the show went post-watershed, it indulged in "more colourful language and behaviour" which made Gary and Tony instant ant-heroes for a generation of men… who behaved badly.

Writer Simon Nye has settled for a more serene pace to life in recent years by penning the popular Sunday evening drama The Durrells for ITV.

Absolutely Fabulous

Borne out of a popular 1990 sketch on French & Saunders, Absolutely Fabulous glorified in the excesses of the fashion PR with a role reversal at the heart of it all. Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone (Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley) encapsulated the boozing nineties with their carefree attitude to drugs and alcohol.

As they acted like wanton teenagers, it was Edina’s daughter Saffron (Julia Sawalha) who took on the role of being mother, trying to hold together their self-destructive behaviour.

Of course, the nation loved it and after three series in the mid-nineties, it came back to dominate the early noughties with a couple more celebrated comebacks before a movie last year cemented itself as one of Britain’s favourite comedies.

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The Mrs Merton Show

One of the most celebrated lines in chat show history came from the mouth of Mrs Merton. When talking to Debbie McGee, Mrs Merton famously asked: "So what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?"

In that moment, Mrs Merton became a household name and Caroline Aherne’s creation, along with the faux chat show, was embraced by the viewing nation.

Caroline was riding a wave of being one of the UK’s best comic writers and performers, with The Royle Family and The Fast Show dominating the TV schedules. Mrs Merton was another collaboration with Craig Cash and they proved that they could produce comedy gold as countless celebrities fell afoul of Mrs Merton’s vicious tongue.

Caroline Aherne was one of the 90s greatest comedy writers and performers (Image: Getty Images)

Aherne died in 2016 from lung cancer. Fellow comedians and actors paid tribute to her, including Fast Show co-star John Thompson, who described her as "an irreplaceable comic genius."

The pair met at university before gaining a reputation for hyper-violent antics when they performed as the Dangerous Brothers at The Comedy Store in 1980.

The late, great Rik Mayall being interviewed in January 1985 (Image: Getty Images)

They continued their anarchic partnership in cult BBC comedy, The Young Ones, as Rik and Vivian and this laid the foundations for what was to come in Bottom.

It was humour at its lowest level but the viewers loved it and it spurned three series in the early nineties, followed by a feature film, Guest House Paradiso in 1999 and a couple of live theatre shows.

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I'm Alan Partridge

One of the greatest comedy characters ever devised came from the brilliant mind of Steve Coogan is now often quoted for a myriad of occasions. Following the destruction of his TV career after the disastrous end to his chat show, Alan Partridge has bounced back as a regional radio DJ, while living at a Travel Tavern.

The multi-award winning sitcom was meant to be a “kind of social x-ray of male middle-aged Middle England”, according to the writers but it became a template for how great comedy can be.

Aha! Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge (Image: Getty Images)

The Day Today

There may have been only six episodes of The Day Today but every one was a comedy classic and it gave Alan Partridge his first TV appearance, as a hapless sports presenter.

A parody of current affairs programme, it was created by Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris and it started life as a radio programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1991 and 1992.

It made the leap to television in 1994 and has since been hailed as one of the best comedies of its generation. Chris Morris went on to cause public outrage with his next project, a series of spoof documentaries called Brass Eye, that became front page news.

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The League of Gentlemen

When it comes to black comedy, there are few programmes darker that The League of Gentlemen. Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Sheersmith created a terrifying view of northern town life which was one of the most unusual comedies to air on British television.

Starting in 1999, it ran for three series and became essential viewing as the nation revelled in the dark humour and creepy characters. Once you have seen Papa Lazarou, you will never forget him, that’s for certain.

Mark Gatiss, went on to act in and write episodes of Doctor Who and has recently confirmed that The League of Gentlemen will hopefully return in 2019 for an anniversary special.

Steve Pemberton reveals how big League of Gentlemen was in its day (Image: Getty Images)

The 11 O'Clock Show

It is often forgotten what a fantastic breeding ground for talent The 11 O’Clock Show was. It was satirical late night sketch show that aired on Channel 4 from 1998 to 2000. Hosted by Iain Lee and Daisy Donovan, it will always be known for launching the careers of two of Britain’s most internationally renowned comedians.

Sacha Baron Cohen first came to the nation’s attention when he launched Ali G on unsuspecting celebrities with a series of interviews that are some of the funniest TV moments ever produced.

When Sacha moved on, waiting in the wings was Ricky Gervais, who was to cause controversy with his expletive-ridden character that spouted obnoxious politically incorrect statements. What Ricky did next was write and produce The Office and his place at the helm of British comedy was cemented.

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Big Train

The creators of Father Ted also wrote one of the more surreal sketch shows in British history, with Big Train. The cast included Simon Pegg, Mark Heap, Julia Davis and Catherine Tate and followed the tradition of Monty Python for macabre situations.

Simon Pegg has become a Hollywood star (Image: Getty Images)

Appearing in 1998, one of the best known sketches was The World Stare-out Championship Final, which has real-life commentator Barry Davies voicing the action, alongside impressionist Phil Cornwell.

Just 12 episodes were made but it was the breeding ground for a raft of comedians which would go on to shape that early noughties.